The continuing saga of the Red Sea conflict seems to have drawn away from the original issue of the Israel/Gaza conflict and has now become a full-fledged geo-political trade conflict affecting commercial maritime traffic.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels who carried out their 24th attack on the 2nd of Jan 2024 against commercial ships since the 19th of November 2023 have been warned by no less than 13 nations to stop these illegal attacks or face consequences.
Following the reports by U.S. Central Command on the above attacks, Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement calling for an end to these attacks.
“There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels. Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation” read the statement published on the White House website.
In the latest development that has added to the heightened tensions in the Red Sea, The Time of Israel has reported that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have taken responsibility for an attack on CMA CGM TAGE on the 3rd of December. The CMA CGM Tage was en route to Egypt while the Houthis believed it was en route to Israel. Fortunately, the ship remained unscathed.
A statement released by the Houthis, on X reportedly confirmed the targeting of the CMA CGM TAGE citing that their warnings to the ship went unheeded.
Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the assault in a broadcast, mentioning that warning messages sent to the ship were disregarded. The specifics of these messages or the nature of the attack were not detailed.
These attacks, particularly around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, have caused significant disruptions in a waterway that is vital for about 12% of global trade and the latest attack has prompted CMA CGM to announce a steep rise in freight charges, doubling the freight rate for a 40′ container from Asia to North Europe via the Mediterranean.
Other lines like MSC, have also increased their prices while also opting to reroute their vessels around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope instead of passing through the Red Sea.
These attacks, statements, and now the joint statement by 13 nations are raising serious concerns about possible military action in Yemen against Houthi targets.